ABSTRACT

Frankfurt welcomed the Bernoulli family, and Jacob ’s businessimporting spices from East Asia-was as successful as he had predicted. e family easily made the switch from the Dutch language to German as they adjusted to life in the Rhine-Main region. Jacob and Francina had a total of 17 children although many of them, succumbing to the common diseases of the time, didn’t survive beyond their fi fth birthdays. By 1570, only three years after his fl ight from Antwerp , Jacob had become a Frankfurt city councilor because of his impressive success as a businessman. He enjoyed widespread respect in his adopted city. Although at this point a talent in mathematics had not yet been recognized among the Bernoullis, Jacob was clearly able to keep his accounts straight and to make a profi t consistently.